iceturkee

i have a pre fabricated tlso back brace and a custom fabricated knee brace. i also have a power chair and hospital bed, all va issued.

no letter, just the deposit monday after, confirmed later when i checked my ebenefits account.

this was my second year receiving clothing allowance. i'm thinking it was may when the va sent me the form and a letter instructing me to fill it out and submit to my prothestics department. according to the letter, the forms were due nlt august 1. but i got mine in late september last year and i know it was submitted after deadline.

just got my clothing allowance. i've been reading your comments and wasn't aware of the need to bring in the torn clothes to your prothestics department. currently, i have a va issued electric wheelchair; a va issued custon knee brace; a va issued back brace and a va issued home hospital bed. in any event, just a heads up that 2013 allowances are now being released.

it took me less than a week from the time i received the DAV letter to when i received the packet from the VA. the retro deposited in my account the same day i got the VA packet.

the $631 from december 1, 2012 to present is your retro. if you have an ebenefits account, it will show you the retro once payment is made.

i'm curious, does your fused vertebrae show up as such on a normal spinal x-ray? my degenrative disc disease in my thoracic spine has gotten bad enough where you can see the lack of discs from about t-5 through t-9. its hard to see on a computer if they have started to fuse but it looks close.

i was awarded depression, secondary to my back.

physician assistants and nurse practioners can prescribe most medicines. they complete 2 additional years of college beyond undergraduate school.

the va's ratings for back injuries are beyond crazy!

yes, i received IU on my first attempt. i was fortunate because the entire process took 4 months. that was due to a comment a shrink wrote in my depression claim. she said my depression/anxiety caused me to basically be unsociable (as best as i can remember) and i couldn't even work in a sedentary job. when the va awarded me 30 percent for depression, they deferred IU until i could have my c&p exams. hence, the reason it was ajudicated so quickly. good luck with your claim.

the last dav counselor i spoke with was bound and determined to tell me i should lose my unemployability without even looking at my record. i haven't had a good one in years. they certainly don't grow on trees.

it was my first one, that's why i asked. it was completed and mailed within 2 days of receipt. thanks.

i received a form last week which basically asked me if i had worked this year or not since i am receiving unemployability. is this something i have to look forward to every year? thanks.

i was just denied an increase for my 40 percent service connected back condition although recent xrays show the start of vertebral fusion. the reson for denial was i refused to get out of my va issued wheelchair (and i have been declared wheelchair bound) for a range of motion test. i asked the doctor for assistance to get me in and out of my wheelchair and with help keeping me stead to stand. the rating specialist said i refused a direct order. mind you, this hasn't been a problem with previous c&p exams. the flip is had i stodd for the exam, the va would have come back and said i didn't the wheelchair.

never mind, just had a long phone conversation with my dav rep. if a mod can delete this topic, please do so! thanks.

just heard from my dav rep that my request for smc for aid and attendance was denied. i don't know the va's rationale for this but i do have a question. i read online in a few different places that the va will not award smc for a&a if you are tdiu, that you have to be 100 percent on scheduler. is this true? my story is i am wheelchair bound because of my back (which is why the va awarded me unemployability) and my inflammatory arthritis. i had special monthly pension for a&a because my hands are deformed. the va has paid for me to have a nirses aide come to my house 12 hours a week to help me perform my daily living activities. she also wrote a statement on my behalf, detailing how much my back condition precludes me from doing what activities. i have not seen the c&p exam yet because of policy at my va clinic. thanks.

mine has been at rating board ready for decision since sept 17. my dav reps say they can not tell me how long it will be. UPDATE: my dav rep emailed me today to tell me a rating decision is expected later in the day!

i was fortunate in that my severance pay from the navy was tax free because of my service dates. the navy rated me 10 percent. about a month after my discharge, the va also rated me 10 percent. they immediately started witholding my check to recoup the money the navy paid me. this was summer of 1988.

i can't do any steroids because of bleeding problems so my doctor has prescribed colchicine. hopefully this knocks it out. but then my doctor and i need to figure out a plan beside watching my diet like a hawk!

i have long been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis. about a year ago, my uric acid started going up and i was told i had gout. i only recently experienced my first gout attack (after going off my inflammatory medicine because of potential kidney failure).

i had that issue years ago when i was adjudicated for special monthly pension. the va used the date of my c&p exam. i filed a disagreement and the va changed the date to when i submitted my claim.

thanks

are you currently service connected for your spine and for the radiculopathy? if so, how much? i'm curious a i'm presently 40 for my back.